Lost racecourse 6 – Lincoln and the Lincolnshire Handicap – UK Horse Racing: Race Cards, Form Tools and Tips /in Horse Racing Blog - News & Info | geegeez.co.uk , Horse Racing News - Lost Racecourses | geegeez.co.uk , News /by IanS Lincoln in its heyday For the best part of 200 years racing people knew that the first meeting of the year at Lincoln racecourse meant that the flat season was under way. Since Lincoln closed in 1964, that accolade has belonged to Doncaster, except for a couple of years recently when Catterick bagged the honour. Thankfully, in my view, we have resumed old habits this season. Racing began at Carholme, on the western edge of the city, in 1773, although by then racing had taken place in the city for nearly 200 years. The City Registers recorded on 12 February 1597 that “The mayor’s charges for a scaffold at the horse race to be allowed.” The scaffold, a temporary stand put up specifically for the even, remained a feature for many years.

It clearly aided viewing for the privileged few who stood there, including King James 1 in 1617, as well as keeping them clear of the riff-raff. The registers tell us that “there was a great horse race on the heath for a cup, where his Majesty was present and stood upon a scaffold the city had caused to be set up, and withal caused the racecourse a quarter of a mile long to be railed and corded with ropes and stoops, whereby the people were kept out and the horses which ran were seen far.” George 1 also went to Lincoln races, putting up £100 guineas in prize money himself on his visit in 1716. By the end of the century the races took place on a four mile round course at Waddington Heath. Anyone who has attended the Waddington Air Show will have crossed the track, which very likely formed the outline for the perimeter road when RAF Waddington was set up as a training station in November 1916. The last meeting there took place in 1770, and was notable for Eclipse winning the Cup.

For a brief period between 1770 and 1773 at Welton Heath, during which time the circuit at The Carholme was laid out, and in September 1773 a three day meeting – but with only one race a day – inaugurated more 200 years of sport at the site. The course introduced jump racing in 1843, though it never really established itself as a regular attraction. Indeed, the future of racing at Lincoln had fallen into doubt when the bookies took a hand and helped to secure its name in racing history through the Lincoln Handicap. For a brief period, the course held two Lincoln Handicaps each season. One, the Lincoln Spring Handicap, was introduced at the spring meeting in 1853, and the other, the Lincoln Handicap bowed out in August 1857. Both were run over a mile and a half, but neither race attracted many runners. When the August meeting was dropped in 1857, the two races merged the following year. The next effort to increase the number of runners was to reduce the distance to a mile, which was done in 1865, but it remained poorly supported.

Then some bookmakers with an eye to profit stepped in, and chipped in £1,000 between them to add to the prize money. With no form to go on the race has always favoured them rather than punters, and when 35 runners went to post in 1874, and a little known 17 year old, Fred Archer, brought Tomahawk as the 14/1 winner, they felt their investment repaid itself. It has continued to do so ever since, and that link has continued down the years. The last Lincoln to be run at Lincoln, in 1964, was sponsored by Ladbrokes, and now the race has the backing of William Hill. The race has another place in posterity. In my youth I spent a lot of time with the winners of the Lincolnshire Handicap between 1926 and 1937, though I didn’t know it at the time. They are: · 1926: King of Clubs · 1936: Over Coat · 1937: Marmaduke Jinks I have to own up to a teenage Totopoly addiction.

Why did they choose the names of Lincolnshire Handicap winners? Who knows? Waddingtons, the manufacturers were based in Leeds, so there was no direct link to Lincoln. Why those particular 12 winners? Well, the game came out in 1938, so they simply chose the most recent winners at the time. World War 2 marked the beginning of the end for Lincoln, as the track became a military camp. The Lincolnshire moved to Pontefract between 1942 and 1945, and although the first post war race run at its home attracted over 38,000 spectators, racing never fully re-established itself. In 1963 the Levy Board included Lincoln on its list of 12 courses from which it intended to remove its subsidy. The local council would not step in, and the following year Henry Brooke, the Home Secretary and final arbiter of the Levy Board proposals accepted them and signed the death knell for racing in Lincoln. Those last 18 years provided further opportunities for the course, and the race, to find other places in the record books. Does anyone remember the 1948 running?

Jockey Ron Sheather had good cause to do so. He was a 7lb claimer at the time on a horse called Loucose. He finished last in the race, in 58th spot, the largest field ever recorded for a flat race. The grandstand at Lincoln And jockey Edward Hide had an unusual encounter one year when he and the other runners found a youth on a bicycle heading straight towards them. Most of the course was marked out with poles, which didn’t even have ropes joining them, so it wasn’t always obvious what was racetrack and what was common land. In his autobiography Nothing to Hide he recorded, “It is hard to believe that there wasn’t a horrific pile up, but the quick wittedness of the jockeys averted disaster. I will never forget the look of disbelief on the lad’s face as I flashed past, sandwiching him between me and the rails.” After racing at Lincoln finished, it seemed as is the course wanted to prove that closure was a mistake. In 1965, Monday 22 March should have seen the opening of the flat season at Doncaster, except that two inches of snow caused racing there to be abandoned.

Yet 40 miles southeast, in Lincoln, the going was perfect. A thaw, and flat season opened a day late, with the Lincolnshire Handicap shorn of its "shire". Rules racing was over, but Lincoln would not give up without a fight. The Tote buildings and number board went off to Fakenham, but the grandstand remained, and still does, on the other side of the Lincoln to Worksop road, now no longer having to be closed for race day. The Carholme became home for three hunts, which staged their point-to-point meetings there until 1991. The Labour Council was happy to renew the lease for the hunts, provided that the meetings had nothing to do with hunting. Lincoln grandtand That signalled final closure. At least, that’s what everyone thought at the time. But in 2010 a group called the Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company (LRRC) met in the old grandstand to announce plans which, it said meant “that professional Flat racing could return to Lincoln within five years.” The idea met with strong opposition from local residents, and, once again, found an unsympathetic local council, this time Conservative led.

LRRC reckoned it had of investment lined up to build new stands and stables and that the proposals would generate £12m for the local economy. But one councillor described it as “a bad idea that won’t happen.” He went on to say that, “The City of Lincoln Council has no political will toward the racecourse plans, despite it having a Conservative majority.” It seems Lincoln racecourse is to remain derelict, despite having a track you can still clearly see, and buildings that are in a decent state or repair and regularly used by community groups. Lincoln Handicap | Horse Racing FA Cup Beginning in 1858~59, this mile-long handicap was originally run at Lincoln racecourse as the Lincolnshire Handicap. It has been held in March each year ever since, replacing a discontinued two-mile summer fixture that had existed there since 1849 and the mile-and-a-half Lincoln Spring Handicap that began in 1853. When the Carholme racecourse at Lincoln closed in 1965, the event shortened its name to the Lincoln Handicap and moved to Doncaster in South Yorkshire, its present home, where the race could be run on a straight mile.

Of course, Doncaster Racecourse is best known as the venue where the St. Leger has been run since 1776, making it the oldest of the five British Classic horse races. But the Lincoln Handicap also occupies an important place on the English Flat Racing calendar, being the first major handicap of the season. As such, the race always draws a sizeable field. In fact, in 1948 there were 58 runnersï¿½a record among races run under Jockey Club rules. An Historic Racing Event Many memorable finishes have been witnessed at the Lincoln Handicap over the years, which is now limited to four-year-olds and upwards. One of the most exciting moments came in 1902 when a three-year-old filly named Sceptre debuted in a close loss, caught out at the very last stride by St. Maclou. Sceptre went on to become the only horse ever to win four of the five English Classics outright. In its long history, the Lincoln Handicap has had only two double winners: Ob in 1906~1907, followed half a century later by Babur in 1957~1958.

Among jockeys, Charlie Maidment claimed the most victoriesï¿½fourï¿½aboard Indigestion (1868), Royal Rake (1870), Guy Dayrell (1872), and Vestminster (1873). Similarly, trainer Jack Robinson brought home four winners: Clorane (1896), winkfieldï¿½s Pride (1897), Prince Barcaldine (1898), and Cinderello (1910). In more recent history, Paul Cole trained three Lincoln Handicap victors: Kuala Lipis (1997), John Fereley (2000), and Nimello (2001). Rider Jimmy Fortune guided the latter two horses to the finish line and then made it a hat-trick by taking Expresso Star to a first place conclusion in 2009. Oddly missing from the list of Lincoln luminaries is jockey Lester Piggott, who raced here but never managed to outrun the field. Racing at Doncaster The racecourse at Doncaster is among seven in Britain operated by Arena Leisure, and it hosts both flat racing and jumps.

It has been home to the November Handicap since 1963, making it the location of both the first and last big handicaps of the racing year. Since 1971, the Lincoln Handicap has been conducted on the first Saturday of Britainï¿½s turf flat racing season, just one or two weeks ahead of the Grand National. As a result, bookmakers often pair the two races to form a market known as the ï¿½Spring Double,ï¿½ with astronomical opportunities for handicappers. Several long-priced entries have made the Lincoln Handicap a happy payday over the years, notably Bronze Hill (1973) at 50-1 and then Cuvee Charlie (1988), Evichstar (1990), Roving Minstrel (1995), Stone Ridge (1996), and Zucchero (2002)ï¿½all at odds of 33/1. The shortest odds of late were on the 2010 winner, Penitent, at 3/1. For many years, the Lincoln Handicap was sponsored by william hill.

The bookmaker took an interval away from the race 1997 and then returned in 2006 for a new round of association, giving the event its official name: the william hill Lincoln. As of 2010, the purse for the handicap has been raised to ï¿½125,000, with more than ï¿½77,000 going to the winner. Comment on this event History HISTORY ST LEGER WINNERS Doncaster is one of the oldest established centres for horse racing in Britain, with records of regular race meetings going back to the 16th century. In 1600 the corporation tried to put an end to the races because of the number of ruffians they attracted, but by 1614 it acknowledged failure and instead marked out a racecourse. Ladbrokes St. Leger Festival The earliest important race was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766, ten years before a move to the racecourse's present location. In 1776 Colonel Anthony St. Leger founded a race in which five horses ran.

This race has remained in existence and become the world's oldest classic race. During the first world war the racecourse was used for military purposes and substitute races were run at Newmarket from 1915 to 1918. Doncaster has the distinction of both starting and ending the flat season on turf. Every September, Doncaster hosts the prestigious four-day St. Leger Festival, which is acclaimed as the premier sporting occasion of the Autumn calender. Doncaster has also taken over events whose traditional homes have closed, such as the Lincoln in 1965. More history was made at Doncaster in 1992 when it staged the first ever Sunday meeting on a British racecourse, a crowd of 23,000 turned up despite there being no betting. Today, after more than four hundred years of racing, the St. Leger is undoubtedley still the highlight of Doncaster's year. Throughout the racing calendar there is a full programme of top class racing, with flat racing in the summer and jumping action all winter.

early leger Early running of the St Leger B&W Historical Jockey John Singleton with the first ever St Leger winner in 1776 Allabaculia The Lincoln THE WILLIAM HILL LINCOLN FACTS AND FIGURES A race called the Lincolnshire Handicap was first run over two miles at Lincoln in August, 1849. In 1853, a new fixture was staged at Lincoln in February and featured a race called the Lincoln Spring Handicap,run over a mile and a half and won by Caurire. The distance of this contest was reduced to a mile in 1855 and moved to a date in March. In 1859, the two races merged to become the Lincolnshire Handicap, run over a mile in March. The Lincolnshire Handicap was run at Lincoln (AThe Carholme@) up to and including 1964. Following that course's closure, the race moved to Doncaster in 1965 and was renamed the Lincoln Handicap.

Along with the Grand National, the William Hill Lincoln forms the ASpring Double.@ Jockey Dave Dick achieved the unique distinction of winning both races - he scored in the Lincoln of 1941 on Gloaming, carrying just 7st 4lb and went to triumph in the ADevon Loch@ Grand National of 1956 on ESB, who shouldered 11st 3lb to victory. During World War II, three runnings were held at Pontefract (1943-1945). The 1916 renewal was at Lingfield, while there was no race in 1917 or 1918 due to World War I. Due to a Â£34 million redevelopment at Doncaster, the 2006 renewal was held at Redcar, while in 2007 the race was hosted by Newcastle. It returned to a revamped Doncaster in 2008.

The dozen winners of the William Hill Lincoln between 1926 and 1937 (King Of Clubs (1926), Priory Park (1927), Dark Warrior (1928), Elton (1929), Leonidas II (1930), Knight Error (1931), Jerome Fandor (1932), Dorigen (1933), Play On (1934), Flamenco (1935), Overcoat (1936) and Marmaduke Jinks (1937)) gave their names to the horses used in the popular board game Totopoly. There have been only two dual winners of the William Hill Lincoln - Ob (1906 & 1907) and Babur (1957 & 1958). No horse has managed to win more than once since the race was transferred to Town Moor. The biggest shocks came with the 100/1 shots King Of Clubs (1926), Elton (1929) and Jockey Treble (1947).

Since it has been run at Doncaster, the biggest-price winner was the 50/1 shot Bronze Hill (1973) while there have been six 33/1 successes during the same period - Southwark Star (1975), Cuvee Charlie (1988), Evichstar (1990), Roving Minstrel (1995), Stone Ridge (1996) and Zucchero (2002). The shortest-price winner was Saucebox (1855, Evens). During its time at Doncaster, eigth favourites have obliged - Riot Act (1966), Captains Wings (1978), Cataldi (1985), Right Wing (1999), John Ferneley (2000), Nimello (2001), Stream Of Gold (2005) and Expresso Star (2009). Since its transfer to Doncaster, the most successful trainer has been Paul Cole, with three wins (Kuala Lipis 1997, John Ferenely, 2000 and Nimello, 2001).

Jimmy Fortune, successful in 2000, 2001 and 2009, is the only jockey since 1965 to win the race on three occasions. Richard Quinn and Jimmy Quinn are the only other current jockeys to have won the race twice, joining Scobie Breasley, Sandy Barclay, Edward Hide and Greville Starkey. The Lincoln was one of the few races to elude Lester Piggott. Since 1965, Cataldi (1985) and Babodana (2004) share the honour of having carried the biggest weight to victory - 9st 10lb. The lowest winning weight during the same period was the 7st 3lb carried by Southwark Star (1975). The Grimthorpe Chase Historical Doncaster This Doncaster race has a long and varied history but is now a prime stop on the road to Aintree. The Grimthorpe Chase, run here at Doncaster, has had a varied and intermittent history. Some years it dipped out of the programme book completely while at other times the distance of the race has been radically altered.

However in the spirit of Charles Darwin, whose The Origin of Species is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Grimthorpe which may once have been teetering on the edge of extinction has adapted to suit prevailing conditions evolving into a leading Grand National trial. The eponymous Grimthorpe family have been involved in racing for many years. Ralph Beckett, the third Baron Grimthorpe owned Fragrant Mac, who won the 1952 Scottish Grand National, as well as Fortina who was victorious in the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fortina went on to sire Fort Leney and Glencaraig Lady who emulated his feat at Prestbury Park. Christopher Beckett, the fourth Baron, was a member of the Jockey Club and director of Thirsk Racecourse. Prior to the early 1980s the Grimthorpe was run over two miles and 150 yards, taking place on the same card as the Rossington Main Hurdle. The distance was then upped dramatically nearly doubling to a stamina testing four miles and 100 yards.

The 1987 renewal, over the longer trip, included the winners of the last three Scottish Nationals in the form of dual-winner Androma and Hardy Lad. The latter won the race however third-placed Little Polveir went on to win at Ayr, reversing the placings with Hardy Lad, and followed up two years later in the Grand National. The distance was changed again to the current trip of three and a quarter miles in the 1990s when it was run as the Velka Pardubicka Grimthorpe Chase. This provided a tie-in with the famous race run in the Czech Republic (previously Bohemia) which is an exacting challenge over varied obstacles, including sections over ploughed fields. The Velka Parubicka course was based on the Grand National course of the 1880s inspired by the Aintree success of Bohemia-born Count Kinsky on his own Zoedene. Big Race History: The Lincoln : Events : Horse Racing Free Bet Malcolm Pannett and Philip Alstead fill in the past history of The Lincoln which has its roots in a race first run in 1849.

The Lincoln, or Lincolnshire Handicap as it was known until the race moved to Doncaster in 1964, has been in existence since the middle of the 19th century. A conglomeration of the two-mile Lincolnshire Handicap run in August, inaugurated in 1849 and won by Midia ridden by Barker who weighed in at 4st 11lb, and the mile-and-a-half Lincoln Spring Handicap, inaugurated in 1853. The race changed to the current distance of a mile in 1855 when Sausebox, who went on to win the St Leger, obliged at even money favourite - the shortest price in the history of the race. The event was in danger of disappearing from the programme in 1874 until bookmakers had a whip round raising the then substantial purse of one thousand pounds. The bulk of the money went to the connections of Tomahawk who easily beat 34 rivals partnered by 17-year-old Fred Archer who at the end of the season would be crowned champion jockey for the first time.

The continuing return on the investment, as the race became established as an unpredictable cavalry charge, meant it was a grand well spent by the turf accountants particularly with the Lincoln's emerging link to the Grand National as the first leg of the Spring Double. Jockey Dave Dick uniquely won a renewal of both races taking the Lincoln on Gloaming in 1941 and, fortuitously after Devon Loch's collapse, adding the Grand National on E.S.B. in 1956. The record set for the greatest number of runners in any flat race, when 58 went to post for the 1948 renewal won by Commissar, is unlikely to be broken due to the maximum limits now imposed.

Notable winners include Ob (1906 and 1907) and Babur (1957 and 1958) who both won two years in a row; St Maclou (1902), who beat Sceptre who went on to win four classics that season; Buchanan (1881) an almost white horse who emerged ghostlike from a snow storm; Saving Mercy (1984) the last Irish-trained winner; Amenable (1991), ridden by Alex Greaves the only woman to be successful in the race; and the winners from 1926 to 1937 who are immortalized in the board game Totopoly made by the makers of Monopoly. Lincoln racecourse, also known as the Carholme, closed after Levy Board funding was withdrawn. Shortly before its demise the Lincoln was transferred to Doncaster. The Lincoln was also run at Lingfield (1916) and Pontefract (1942-1944) during war time while Redcar (2006) and Newcastle (2007) stepped in during the recent redevelopment of Town Moor.

10 years ago - Richard Quinn timed his run on favourite Right Wing to perfection smoothly passing Captain Scott in the final fifty yards to win by half a length. Night Of Glass was a further length back in third with Raheen in fourth the only horse on the stands' side to finish in the first eight. Five years ago - Philip Robinson emulated his father Peter, who had won in 1967 on Ben Novus when he partnered Babdona to victory. Robinson tracked the leaders before making his move two furlongs out. The 20-1 shot, trained by Mark Tompkins, stayed on well, under Philip Robinson, to hold the strong finish of Quito by three quarters of a length. Dark Charm and Wing Commander filled the frame providing a clean sweep for those drawn on the stands' side.

Last Year - With Doncaster back centre stage, after the previous year's renewal at Newcastle, the drama unfolded as Smokey Oakey, owned by Dame Judi Dench and Bryan Agar, came from last to first on the stands' side to lead inside the final furlong winning by a length and a half from 2006-winner Blythe Knight who led home the group on the far side. FEATURE: Racecourse staff ready for Lincoln Handicap - Doncaster Free Press FEATURE: Racecourse staff ready for Lincoln Handicap 08:48 Tuesday 24 March 2009 12:37 Thursday 26 March 2009 HORSE racing's flat season gets underway this weekend when Doncaster Racecourse hosts the Lincoln Handicap. The historic Lincoln, which switched to the Town Moor venue in 1965, officially marks the start of the British flat season and attracts thousands of racegoers from across the country every year. Sports reporter LIAM HODEN speaks to two unsung heroes who make the action on the track become possible.

WHEN the jockeys guide the horses down to the straight mile start for Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster on Saturday all talk of preparations will centre on the trainers of the four year olds. But behind the scenes preparations for the race, and every other held at Town Moor, are almost a 365-day task for a dedicated team. Heading the groundstaff is Steve Wilks, a man who has given 29 years of service to Doncaster Racecourse, never taking a day off with illness to ensure everything is pristine throughout the year. Looking out over the course from the spectacular viewing point that the stewards box affords is the perfect appraisal of Wilks' work. Bathed in sunlight, the lush track looks more than ready to host one of the year's most prestigious races - it is easy to see why the team at Doncaster won the prestigious Neil Wyatt Racecourse Groundstaff Award for their work earlier this year. Everything that affects horse racing at Doncaster falls under the remit of Wilks and his team of five groundsmen and two gardeners.

While ensuring that the track itself is in the best possible condition for top class racing, the 50-year-old from Cantley must manage the stables so everything is ready for the arrival of the runners. When asked to talk about himself and what he does Wilks is clearly uncomfortable with the attention. He seems to think his role at the course is not as crucial as it actual is - but the love he has for his job is clear. "My wife says to me 'why don't you put a sickie in?' but I don't want to, I never have and I never will," he said. "I love this job. "I'm not into racing, I just like to get in here and get everything prepared for the actual race day." Working alongside Wilks for most of his day is clerk of the course David Williams who is keen to lavish his head groundsman with praise. Williams said: "Steve has worked through 29 Classics at one course and that is some achievement - there aren't many people like him. "What he's very good at is the organisation that goes in prior to racing.

"There are always last minute jobs to do but the actual organisation of everything on the track side is a 24-7 job." When preparing to meet a clerk of the course certain images come to mind - the often elite nature of racing brings thoughts of tweed-clad gents in the power roles. Nothing could be further from the truth with the strictly hands-on Williams who is more likely to be seen in overalls at Town Moor than a shirt and tie. "Being so hands-on has been something I've been allowed to do here because of the role that managing director Adam Waterworth takes," Williams said. "He was clerk of the course before and he takes on a lot of the race planning element still so I can get out there on the turf." In the run-up to race meetings Williams has to discard the overalls and muddy boots for the media work his role demands. But every spare moment he gets, he changes back and jumps on one of the machines used to prepare the track. He said: "I sometimes change clothes four times a day, in and out of my shirt and tie for the different things I have to do. Williams is as dedicated to his role as his long serving colleague Wilks.

He recently took his first holiday in the four years he has worked at Doncaster and later this year, once the St Leger is run in September, he will marry his partner Joanne Parker in St Lucia. Despite all the hard graft, there seems to be few tasks that trouble Wilks and Williams on a day to day basis. Wilks said: "You are always going to get problems on a raceday and at the last minute. "But I'm a great believer that if there's a problem, there's a solution and we just get on with it." The biggest challenge in the careers of both of these hardworking men came during the redevelopment of the course. Only Wilks and Williams remained on site while the building work was carried out over 18 months, allowing time to address a historical problem with the track. Williams said: "The biggest talking point with the Lincoln was always the draw. "It was vital that you avoided a draw in the middle of the track or you would have no chance of winning it. "The ground was always heavier in the middle of the track because the irrigation system we had overlapped so you needed a wide draw.

"Even the best horses would struggle with a draw in the middle." With time on their hands the pair took the unprecedented move of re-growing the track from scratch. The turf and a layer of soil were removed, the ground reseeded and a new irrigation system installed. While the task of reproducing a top class track was tough enough, it happened to take place during one of the hottest ever summers which brought its own problems. Wilks said: "We were coming in at two o'clock in the morning to water the grass because it was so hot during the day." But a month after the seeds were sown the new grass was cut for the first time as the track took shape. Williams said: "We effectively changed history with what we did with the track. "The problems with the draw disappeared and the pundits have had to come up with something else to talk about." Another challenge was to set on and train an all-new team of groundstaff. Wilks said: "The staff that we set on had never set foot on a racecourse before. "We were teaching while we worked and we still are.

"Winning the award for groundstaff of the year is testament to how good they have all become." But it has not all been a case of maintaining the track and checking the rails for Wilks and Williams - as sometimes slightly less conventional challenges arise. "We were walking around the course in February a couple of years ago ahead of a meeting," Wilks said. "We went over to what would be the first fence of a three miler and could see that there was nothing left of it." Williams continued: "It was frosty that day and we could see footprints on the grass leading into the trees so we followed them. "It turned out that someone had ripped the fence down and built a house with it with a frost sheet for a roof." As the crowds head home after Saturday's racing, the work of Wilks and Williams will continue as preparations are made for the second day of the Lincoln meeting. All the litter generated by the thousands of racing punters must be cleared, the track must be checked and race railings that children may have used as climbing frames need to be fixed.

"We have to make sure that the course is in the same condition on the second, third or fourth day of the meeting as it was before the start of the first," Wilks said. So while the winning owners will pop the champagne corks, Wilks and Williams will pop on the overalls to make sure the course is up to the high standards they demand. A colourful history Betway Lincoln Handicap 2016 Runners & Result - Doncaster Racecourse 3 Battle Of Marathon 50/1 4 Birdman 14/1 5 Man Of Harlech 10/1 22 ran Distances: nk, ½l, ¾l TIME 1m 46.25s (slow by 10.25s) Charlie Appleby's Secret Brief fit from Dubai, sticks his neck out to win on heavy ground for Godolphin Secret Brief © Racehorse Photos Secret Brief came with a rattling run inside the final furlong to claim the Betway Lincoln at Doncaster. Wearing the Godolphin colours, the four-year-old responded to William Buick's urgings to win the first big handicap of the new turf season for trainer Charlie Appleby.

Secret Brief (12-1), who had a spell in Dubai during the winter, got the better of a terrific duel with Ryan Moore on Bravo Zolo to prevail by a neck. Battle Of Marathon came out of the pack to claim third place, another half a length away, with Birdman staying on strongly for fourth. Buick said: "It's a great race to win. I've got to give credit to the whole team at home - they've done a fantastic job with him so thanks to them. "His last run in Dubai was good and we are just getting to know him. "I think he'll improve for a better surface." John Ferguson, Godolphin's chief executive and racing manager, said: "It's a lovely start for everybody in the team. "This is a horse that has been trained in Dubai in the winter, so a perfect preparation from the sunshine of Dubai to heavy ground in Doncaster. "He's handled it really well and I was just impressed the way he travelled in the race. "We thought he'd go with a bit of cut in the ground. This was a different proposition but he's genuine and really tries.

"He stuck his neck out." Ferguson continued: "He's tough and genuine, which is what you want in this ground. Charlie has done a great job with him. "What we want is our horses to reach their potential, which they haven't been doing, and this is a great start. "We'll have to see what the handicapper does on Tuesday before we make a plan." Betway Lincoln (Heritage Handicap) £100,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m, Class 2 22 ran Going: Soft, Heavy in places Pos The Lincoln A race called the Lincolnshire Handicap was first run over two miles at Lincoln in August, 1849. In 1853, a new fixture was staged at Lincoln in February and featured a race called the Lincoln Spring Handicap,run over a mile and a half and won by Caurire. The distance of this contest was reduced to a mile in 1855 and moved to a date in March. In 1859, the two races merged to become the Lincolnshire Handicap, run over a mile in March.

The Lincolnshire Handicap was run at Lincoln up to and including 1964. Following that course's closure, the race moved to Doncaster in 1965 and was renamed the Lincoln Handicap. Betway Lincoln William Hill Lincoln Price Band: Standard Pricing The William Hill Lincoln is the first Flat race meeting of the calendar, with the William Hill Lincoln Handicap feature race taking centre-stage. We’ve launched a campaign to pay tribute to the current trend for flat caps – to coincide with the return of the Flat season! The Doncaster Racecourse team is ringing in the season by championing the flat cap, recently sported by celebrities including David Beckham and Justin Timberlake and synonymous with Yorkshire gentlemen, by donning striking William Hill-branded flat caps to mark the two-day William Hill Lincoln meeting. During the opening day of the Lincoln racegoers will be encouraged to join in with the flat cap wearing trend by the William Hill Hat Squad who will be giving out 1000 exclusive limited edition flat caps.

People will be invited to upload photos of themselves wearing their caps – or their #flatcapselfie – to @DoncasterRaces or @WillHillBet pages using the designated hashtag #TheFlatIsBack – the best ones will get reTweeted and punters could win an iPad mini! PLUS – William Hill will be giving away spot prizes at random of £5 and £10 FREE BETS to those who join in the fun and Tweet us their flat cap pics! Join in the conversation on Twitter @DoncasterRaces @WillHillRacing #TheFlatIsBack Featuring live music from Kasabian tribute – Kazabian – after racing.

1.30 – The William Hill Download The App Brocklesby Conditions Stakes 5f 2.05 – The William Hill In The App Store Doncaster Mile (Listed) 1m 2:40 – The William Hill Bet On The Move Cammidge Trophy (Listed) 6f 3.15 – The William Hill Spring Mile 1m 3.50 – The William Hill Lincoln Handicap 1m 4.25 – The Park Hill Hospital Maiden Stakes 1m 2f 60y 5.00 – The Harriet De-Vere Powell Apprentice Handicap 1m 2f 60y 5:35 – The Harriet De-Vere Powell Apprentice Handicap 1m 2f 60y Dress Code Premier and Mallard Restaurant – Smart. No jeans, sportswear or trainers. Gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie. County Enclosure & Private Hospitality – Smart. No jeans, sportswear or trainers. Gentlemen must have a collared shirt. Please note a £2.50 booking fee applies for every transaction.

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Question: Which racecourse hosts The Lincoln Handicap?
Answer: DONCASTER